


Howler

by ChildishSadism



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fantasy, Fantasy AU, M/M, Magic and Science, Mystery, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, Supernatural Elements, Vanven, venvan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:08:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChildishSadism/pseuds/ChildishSadism
Summary: It is a dangerous job but someone has to do it. Plus the money that comes from it isn't too bad either. It all sounded good and great until a tragedy was the rough wakeup call Ventus found himself facing. He thought he fixed it and everything was going to be fine, but what is done is done and now the two of them are trying to live a normal life once again. Well, as normal as it can be with Vanitas having odd eating habits now.Ventus wasn't sure what was normal anymore, but at least the two of them were together.tldr: Fantasy AU in which Ventus and Vanitas are mythic bounty hunters and one of them might be a bit smelly.
Relationships: Repliku/Namine, Roxas/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 37





	1. Lycan

**Author's Note:**

> I been wanting to write something like this for a while but I was too lazy and now I did it. Yay for me!
> 
> I needed to write something after the atrocity that was the DLC. Had to keep myself happy somehow LMFAO
> 
> This fic is mature for now due to I guess some gore and violence but that might change later on in the future. Idk depends on how much I feel like going into the deep end.
> 
> Warnings: my English, that's the worst tragedy of them all.
> 
> Tumblr: https://demnocts.tumblr.com/ where I write bullshit  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/childishsadism where I pretend not to write bullshit.

The pouring rain only grew stronger by the hour. The muddy roads were almost impossible to travel through but people still pushed through to go about their days. A few farmers were setting up shop while other vendors scattered their items across a plain and old table. The day looked as normal as ever. A few people finally dared to wander out of their homes, quickly buying whatever they needed before racing back home and locking the doors.

Namine sighed loudly and dropped her head on top of the table in front of her. The inn was completely empty. She hated days like these, there were little to no travelers and it sucked for business. She tried to keep herself busy by cleaning the whole place but it was already spotless and there was nothing else to do.

“No one yet?”

Namine looked up at the familiar voice and smiled at Riku. “Not at all, I might as well just close early and risk losing the night business.”

“Well, I’m done cooking dinner if you want to have some. I guess we’ll have enough leftovers for the travelers tomorrow.”

“Thanks, I’ll meet you at the kitchen, I’m just going to lock the windows and the door.”

Riku gave her one last smile and nodded. He pulled on the rubber band that was keeping his long hair tied in a high ponytail and disappeared back to the kitchen.

Namine put away her cleaning supplies and looked around the empty inn one last time. No point in keeping the candles lighted up if no one was going to show up. She walked towards the door and opened it before wincing at the strong wind that hit her face. The storm was still not dying down. If it kept going like this the roads were eventually going to flood and they weren’t going to have travelers for days. Most smart travelers avoiding pushing their horses through muddy roads.

She reached out to try to grip the lantern hooked to the sides of her door but the strong wind was lifting the lantern and making it move towards the direction of the wind. Namine rubbed her lips together, standing on the tip of her toes, trying to reach for it again, almost. She almost had it.

A hand grabbed the lantern for her and held it near her face.

Namine instantly jumped back inside the inn and took a few steps back, her heart was beating against her chest and she couldn’t help reaching out to touch her chest. Most of the candles inside the inn were off and it was hard to see the two figures that were stepping inside the inn.

“Are you alright? I hope we didn’t scare you,” A blond male said with a sheepishly smile. He stepped closer and the few candles behind Namine illuminated his face. He looked kind, with a soft smile and bright blue eyes, very bright blue eyes. He wore mostly black leather, with a large coat with a fluffy neckline. The long boots he wore seemed to have metal welded onto the bottom part, which matched the armor around his left shoulder and chest. He had kneepads as well, but it was hard to tell where most of his armor laid due to how all of it was black.

The companion next to him looked anything but kind. Namine nervously glanced at the second figure. The second male was taller, and he had wider shoulders with a slightly broader chest. The two were completely dressed in black clothes but while the blue-eyed man looked welcoming and nice, the second man had frightening yellow eyes that looked abnormal. He had raven hair and a mask that covered the lower part of his face. Namine could only see his eyes. The mask went around his nose and mouth, even his jaw. It was made out of metal and seemed to be hooked and locked around his head. They wore similar armor and clothes but this man didn’t just have armor but several weapons attached to his hips and a sword on his back. He was still holding the lantern he picked up from Namine earlier.

“Are you travelers?” Namine finally found her voice and looked in between the two.

“You nailed it!” The blond grinned. “I’m Ventus and this is my companion, Vanitas.” He motioned towards the raven that only nodded his head in acknowledgment.

“O-oh, sorry, welcome to The Lucid inn,” Namine smiled, even if she was still spooked from what happened earlier.

“Thank you, thank you! We are here for a job and we were told to try to get it done as soon as possible, but the rain caught us off-guard. Do you have any rooms available?” Ventus tilted his head, the same smile still plastered on his lips as if he couldn’t get rid of it. It was kind of unsettling.

“We are empty today due to the rain so feel free to pick whatever room you want.” Namine walked behind the bar and the two men followed behind her.

Vanitas took a seat on one of the stools and placed the lantern on top of the bar. Ventus stole the seat next to him and playfully tapped his fingers on the smooth wood.

“Does it always rain like this?” Ventus asked as Namine got the inn’s keys prepped.

“Not all the time, but we do get storms once in a while.”

“Mhm, this storm is kind of scary, so unnatural. Oh well, I’m not used to this region-Ah! We’ll take a room with a large window please.”

“Sure, no problem,” Namine picked a room that would suit the duo fine and then turned to hand the key over to Ventus. “Your room is going to be upstairs, last room to the right. If you guys are hungry we also have food ready to eat.”

“That sounds great! We’ll take two plates, is it possible to take them to our room? I really would like to see that window.”

“Oh, yes. I’ll bring them over,” Namine furrowed her brows in confusion but nodded and headed over to the kitchen, not at all missing how the two quickly left for their room.

“Took you long enough, what were you doing?” Riku frowned and crossed his arms over his chest as Namine stepped through the kitchen doors.

“Sorry, we have guests, they came in just before I locked the doors. I’m going to get some food ready for them and then join you over here.”

Riku raised one of his brows and frowned. “Its everything okay? You look kind of pale.”

“Yeah, the two just scared me when they came in and they look kinda intimidating, borderline scary.”

“If you want I can take them their food, you don’t have to do it.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t think they’ll hurt me.”

“Namine…”

“I swear, it’s fine. But since you’re offering, come with me? Please?” She asked shyly and with a small smile.

Riku just smiled in return and helped her get the food ready before picking up both trays. “Lead the way.”

Namine grinned and picked up two large cups of ale before opening the door and taking the lead towards the room that was now occupied. She knocked twice and then the door opened for them. The raven man was the one to open the door. He stared at the two for a good couple of seconds before just walking back inside his room and leaving the door open for the two.

“Not that bad uh?” Riku said with a nervous chuckle. Namine let out an awkward giggle and the two walked inside the room.

Ventus was busy starting a fire and his face quickly brighten up when he saw the food. “Thank you! It looks delicious!”

“Riku is an amazing cook,” Namine complimented with a proud smile.

“He sure is!” Ventus agreed and set the plate down on the table. “If you two have some time, can we ask you some questions?”

“Questions?” Namine isn’t sure what information the two of them could possibly hold.

“Yeah, yeah! About this town. I told you earlier, we were hired to deal with some issues but we are not from here, so it’s best to ask the locals,” Ventus was already ripping his bread into small pieces and dumping them on the stew.

“Uh, sure, what do you guys want to know?” Riku looked in between the two. It was pretty obvious it was only going to be Ventus doing the talking but he just felt rude ignoring Vanitas.

“Well, the guy that hired us said that this town has been going through some issues. Crops being stolen, animals being killed or taken, even the horses aren’t being spared. On top of that multiple people have gone missing! That’s kind of crazy, isn’t? People just vanishing in thin air, weird, very weird,” Ventus took a spoon full of his stew. “Do you guys know about this?”

“Oh, yeah,” Namine answered with a frown. “The men missing were mostly huntsmen. They would go hunting in the forest but never came back and the farm animals being killed, I thought it was wild animals that killed them? That’s what the farmers told me, they said they had large bites and claw marks all over them. Some even think it was bears.”

“I see, I see, I was told something similar by the man that hired us. But he said he saw the animals and it looked like a massacre. They were ripped to shreds and had massive bites on their bodies, too massive for a normal animal.”

“Were the farmers lying then?” Namine asked, not understanding what Ventus was trying to explain.

“No, they just didn’t know better,” Ventus shrugged and leaned back against his chair with his plate in his hand and his spoon gently pressing against his lips. “Just like, if I didn’t know better, by the description they gave then that sounds like a werewolf, uh?” 

The room went silent.

Namine stared at Ventus with wide eyes. She quickly glanced back at Riku just in time to see Vanitas closing the door behind them. He was standing in front of the door with an amused hint in his eyes. One of the axes that had been strapped to his hips was now in his hands and it shone bright with the light from the fireplace. It was silver.

“Riku…” Namine glanced over at Riku, her lips trembling. “Run!”

Everything happened too quickly. Namine was opening her mouth and the scream that came from her was loud enough to make the whole room shake. The windows were trembling, shaking with the high pitch and then they shattered. Riku was about to run towards the window but the moment the glass shattered the large pieces came flying inside the room due to the hard wind from the storm.

Riku hissed loudly and fell on the floor as large chunks of glass stabbed through his body. Namine stopped then, her eyes welling with tears before she ran towards Riku. She knelt down in front of him, shielding him as Ventus and Vanitas got closer.

“P-please, don’t hurt him. He hasn’t done anything, I promise!” Namine was crying, her face resting on Riku’s face.

“A siren and a werewolf, what an odd combination. You were right Vani,” Ventus flipped a gold coin towards Vanitas, the latter quickly caught it.

“I could smell mutt since we even set foot in this inn,” Vanitas said, speaking for the first time. He crouched down, his arms resting on his knees as he stared at Namine and Riku. Riku was slowly sitting up, pulling Namine towards him to shield her from the pair.

“Don’t look so scared, if we wanted you dead we could have killed you at any time while we were watching you for the past two days,” Ventus shrugged with the same smile that never seemed to leave his lips.

“We were hired to kick you out,” Vanitas said, his voice raspy as if he didn’t get to speak too often. “You know damn well, your little boyfriend here is a werewolf, not just any werewolf but a pure breed. The other wolves around the forest finally sniffed him out and feel threatened by him. That’s why they are attacking the village. They surveyed the place, trying to find you two.”

“W-we didn’t know that,” Riku hissed and slowly pulled the pieces of glass out of his body. “I didn’t grow up in a pack, I don’t know how this works.”

“We moved here because there were no werewolf sightings. We never meant to harm anyone, we swear,” Namine added right away.

“So sad, and kind of a tragedy isn’t it?” Ventus said and leaned against Vanitas, resting his head on top of his with a sigh. “But I think we can help, for a price.”

“What do you mean?” Namine asked glancing back at Riku and then turning her attention back to Ventus and Vanitas.

“Well, technically speaking we were hired to get rid of the issue, which is you two but we could also fix the issue by killing the werewolves in the forest,” Ventus’ lips twitched into a devilish smirk. “But that’s harder and so we’ll require payment for that as well.”

“We kill the mutts, you get to keep your happily ever after. We don’t, well, I hope you enjoy moving from one town to another for the rest of your lives,” Vanitas chuckled, ignoring how Ventus was now lazily playing with his hair.

Namine and Riku looked at one another and frowned. They had been struggling with werewolves their whole lives. This was the first time the two were left alone for long enough that they were able to even create their own business. They were tired, exhausted. They wanted a home.

“What’s the price?” Riku asked, not liking how this was going.

“Mhmm,” Ventus hummed and tapped his fingers against his chin. He was now practically almost laying down on top of Vanitas that didn’t look at all bothered and held the other’s weight on top of him pretty well. “I’ll say, a siren’s voice is pretty expensive, but so are werewolf’s fangs.”

“We’ll take one fang and a cracked scream,” Vanitas and tossed Riku a pair of pliers and a blue vial to Namine. “Scream inside the vial until your voice cracks, it won’t break.”

“Siren screams are super helpful during tough battles,” Ventus said with a smile. “We’ll let you two do this, and we’ll be back for our payment after we are done dealing with the puppies.”

“You try to trick us or run and we’ll find you, it ain’t that hard to sniff out a mutt and a bird,” Vanitas said as he got up, ignoring how Ventus was flailing behind him at almost falling from Vanitas suddenly getting up.

Riku picked up the pliers and gulped. He was about to say something when Vanitas leaned in and ran one of his hands on top of one of his wounds. Riku hissed loudly but Vanitas didn’t pull back until his hand was coated with blood. Without hesitation, he smeared the blood all over his mask and then reached over for Ventus to lazily run two of his fingers on either side of his cheeks.

“They’ll sniff us out faster this way and think we are you,” Ventus explained and the two walked towards the cracked window.

Namine watched as the two jumped out. She gasped and crawled towards the edge of the window and looked around. She finally caught sight of the two again and noticed how they looked unharmed. She also noticed how the rain didn’t seem to be hitting them at all. It was as if the water was avoiding them. She had never seen anything like this before. 

* * *

“Urg, did you really have to make it rain this much?” Vanitas hissed out and gave Ventus a small glare.

“Werewolves don’t hunt when it’s raining, you know that. They rely on their sense of smell too much, it was the only way to keep the village safe,” Ventus rolled his eyes.

The two weren’t even two miles away from the village when the rain came to an abrupt stop. The land was dry on the other side and there were no clouds in sight. The moon was high in the sky and luckily for the pair, it wasn’t a full moon.

“Wouldn’t it had just been hilarious if it was a full moon,” Ventus said with a laugh and took the weapons Vanitas was handing over to him.

“Yes, hilarious, can’t stop laughing,” Vanitas drily replied and gave Ventus another two blades before lazily getting his own weapons ready. “I’m tired of carrying your shit.”

“Yeah well, I’m tired of your mood swings but we don’t talk about that.”

“Mood swings? The only reason why I’m mad is that you took this stupid job without telling me! You know how much I hate the smell of werewolves, they fucking stink.”

“I’m trying to put food on the table! I like eating Vanitas, do you like eating? I’m sure you do, and I’ll like to keep doing it because I like to be fucking alive!”

“Well, aren’t you fucking lucky!” Vanitas threw his hands in the air and started walking again. He was mad and even though nobody could tell, he was kind of pouting but Ventus could tell.

“Come on, don’t be like that,” Ventus groaned and followed behind Vanitas.

The noise of a tree branch breaking snapped Ventus’ attention back to reality. He could hear footsteps, no, it wasn’t regular footsteps, they were heavier and more calculated. It was maybe four, no, six of them. He could hear the wind whistle as they moved quickly to hide behind the trees and bushes.

“They are here,” Ventus said and got his two daggers ready.

“No shit, what gave it away? How noisy they are or the fucker that is already staring at us,” Vanitas said pointing one of his axes towards the werewolf that was standing not too far from them.

“Oh, I totally missed that one.”

“You have the blood of the silver Lycan, did you kill him?” The werewolf asked and slowly moved towards them, his claws showing while his sneer showed off his sharp fangs.

“Uh, nope, we didn’t. He just got hurt, totally by accident too, we had nothing to do with it in the slightest,” Ventus replied with a dry chuckle.

“But why have his blood on you?”

“That’s easy, to lure you out dumbasses,” Vanitas answered this time.

“We’ll kill him, right after we kill you too. The stench of death clings to one of you and its sickening, unnatural,” The werewolf growled and then without another word, launched himself towards them his jaw open and ready to bite down on anything that came his way.

It wasn’t just one werewolf attacking, the moment the leader moved the rest of the werewolves did as well. The group was quickly approaching them. Neither Vanitas nor Ventus moved. The two stayed together, back to back.

The werewolves moved closer and then the ground around Ventus and Vanitas started to glow. Vanitas’ yellow eyes were brighter, and the leaves and grass underneath them slowly turned brighter until there was a spark and then fire was shooting in all directions around them.

Some of the werewolves were able to dodge in time while others got hit right on the face and howled in pain. The smell of burned flesh and skin quickly set in the air. Vanitas wrinkled his nose under his mask and hissed at the disgusting smell. Even cooked mutts smelled awful.

“Oh wow, can’t believe they fell for that one,” Ventus said with a grin while Vanitas rolled his eyes. The two were now the ones moving, while the werewolves tried to get back on their feet or figure out the situation they were in.

Ventus was too fast, it was almost as if he was disappearing and teleporting across the field. He was grinning as the two daggers he was holding quickly slashed through flesh and then the noise of a werewolf choking on his own blood filled the silence.

Vanitas was just gone. As if he vanished. His scent was still there and the werewolves knew he wasn’t gone, but they didn’t expect him to slowly crawl from behind their shadows. The heavy ax slashed through the werewolves’ large paws without issues, leaving them crawling as he quickly jumped out of their shadows and the sharp blade came crushing into their skulls. Vanitas hissed in annoyance when blood splashed all over his clothes. Disgusting.

The only werewolf left was the leader, he was staring at the two, looking more vicious than ever and ready to attack even if it was two against one.

“This one could be good fodder,” Ventus said as he leaned one of his arms on top of Vanitas’ shoulders. “Whaddaya think?”

“I hate mutt,” Vanitas said with the same disgusted look on his face.

“Don’t have much of an option, quit having refined tastebuds.”

“Don’t hear you complain about my tastebuds when I suck yo-”

“Alright! mealtime!” Ventus quickly interrupted with a clap of his hands and then he snapped his fingers with a grin.

The mask around Vanitas came off, it landed on the cold grass. Vanitas’ body stiffened, and his pupils turned into small dark slits. He started panting and his mouth opened as he salivated. He was drooling and his teeth quickly shifted into long and sharp fangs that were ready to cut through flesh. He growled and started running towards the werewolf.

Ventus turned around, not wanting to see what was going to happen next. He heard the high pitched growls from the werewolf and then whimpers, whimpers that turned into desperate noises until there was silence. Not too long after the noise of flesh being torn apart broke the silence again. Bones were being crushed and Ventus could hear Vanitas panting loudly.

It was a few minutes later that Ventus picked up the mask from the floor and walked towards Vanitas. Vanitas was still on all fours on the ground, tearing the flesh from the werewolf off of the broken bones with just his mouth. He was eating large chunks of meat and swallowing them before taking another bite.

“That’s enough,” Ventus said and gently ran one of his hand’s through Vanitas’ hair. He kissed the top of the messy hair and Vanitas slowly pulled away from the corpse. Ventus used this chance to slip the mask back around Vanitas’ face before it locked on its own.

Vanitas’ eyes dilated right away and he leaned back against Ventus with a tired sigh. “This tasted awful.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Ventus said with a sad smile and kissed the side of Vanitas’ head. “Let’s go back, but first, I think we should get all the fangs.”

“Sounds like fun.” 

* * *

Namine and Riku were sitting at the bar when Ventus and Vanitas walked through the inn one more time. The sun was peeking through the small windows, and there were a few roosters already going about their day by singing loudly and trying to get people up.

Riku’s nose twitched at the dreadful smell that followed the two. He covered his mouth and nose with one of his hands, not wanting to smell it anymore.

“I know, I know, we stink. But we promise to bathe as soon as we can,” Ventus said with a bright smile. “But if it makes you feel better, our job is done!”

“Payment,” Vanitas said and as soon as he was in front of Namine and Riku he was extending his hand.

Namine was the one to give him the fang and the vial back. She still looked hesitant and afraid but she could only hope that things would be alright now.

“Don’t worry, your boyfriend’s fang will grow back,” Vanitas said as he put away the vial inside his vest and flicked the fang towards Ventus, who caught it right away.

“T-thank you, for the help,” Namine said, trying to smile but it was still so difficult.

“No problem, no problem! But I was serious about that bath, can we please get some hot water? we’re still going to pay for our stay!” Ventus plead with a smile.

Namine couldn’t help the giggle that left her, this time her smile felt a lot more sincere. “Alright, I’ll get things ready.”

“Thank you so much!” Ventus cheered and followed after Namine.

Riku and Vanitas were left downstairs. Vanitas due to the fact that he had to wait his turn for the bath and Riku, Riku wanted to ask something he hadn’t dared to mention before. He noticed it the moment he stepped foot inside Ventus’ and Vanitas’ room but he wasn’t sure of what the smell was or if he was even smelling things right.

“Your scent-“Riku said after a long silence.

“I smell like death, I know,” Vanitas cut him off and glanced over at Riku. “I smell like death because I already met her once. I already died.”

A cold shiver ran down Riku’s back and he swallowed heavily. “So, does that mean?”

“Yeah, just like your little siren was ready to stay behind and let you run. He wasn’t ready to let me go just yet either and did something very stupid, but what’s done it’s done…nothing I can do about it now.”

* * *

_The smell of gore and fresh blood still filled the room. The stench was so strong anyone would have thrown up by now. The red candles illuminated the room with a black flame that gave away eery shadows that danced around the room mockingly. The ceiling was dripping blood and it was dripping on top of a body._

_Ventus was on the floor being pinned down by a bloody Vanitas. His whole body was coated with blood, even his black hair looked crimson. The blood that was falling from the ceiling was slowly being absorbed into his body and he was shuddering at the feeling. He was crying and the black tears were dripping on top of Ventus’ face._

_“Why!” Vanitas screamed and weakly slammed his fists on top of Ventus’ chest. The metal mask was around his mouth already but this time it was coated with blood, making him salivate in the spot. “Why would you do this, why would you do this to me!”_

_Ventus let Vanitas grip his shirt and lift his body. He was rubbing his lips together, and without a second thought, he hugged Vanitas. He moved his arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. He was crying as well, clinging to the bloody Vanitas in front of him._

_“I didn’t want you gone, I didn’t want to lose you, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” He said in between sobs and pulled Vanitas even closer, burying his face on his bloody hair. “P-Please, please don’t leave me again.”_


	2. Fucking Elves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I need to clean my room.  
> Also me: lemme spend 5 hours writing instead.
> 
> Plz, I need to change my fish's water tank and all I can do is write.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter!!!!!!: self-damage...is that how you say it? Self-damage? I don't know. Self-harm? I think that sounds better? I don't know. Also my English.
> 
> Tumblr: https://demnocts.tumblr.com/  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/childishsadism

"Great, your brother is here."

Ventus quickly looked up from the gold coins he was counting in his bag. His wide eyes twitched and he let a nervous smile spread over his lips. 

It was now over a week since they finished their last job and they hadn't bothered to trade in any of their goods for money. It was a pain having to travel to any major city just to try to find an Ace's hub and try to sell their goods. But their money was running short and it probably wouldn't last them longer than a month at this point. It was time to finally make some sales and cash out their bounties. 

An Ace's hub was pretty much a marketplace and a collector's office for bounty hunters and Aces. Ace was the name given to highly skilled hunters that usually dealt with the riskier bounties that were placed in different cities or towns. The bounty boards were created with magic, making it so bounties appeared on them from all over the country. Once an ace or a mercenary picked a job it would be shown as taken until they dropped it or the job was finished. Other bounties, however, could be picked by several people depending on who made the bounty. 

The two hadn't been to any major cities in over three months and it would just be Ventus' luck that the day they decide to come, they'll have a run with his brother.

Maybe if they walked away now, they wouldn't be seen.

"Oh, look is Ventus and Vanitas!" 

Too late.

Ventus plastered another fake smile on his face and waved at the excited brunette that shouted their names just a few seconds a good. Sora looked as hyper and excited as ever, waving both of his arms to get their attention as if it would be hard to miss him. The damn fairy was wearing all white as usual with gold accents that moved all across his full body armor. It was a complete contrast to the other man that was standing next to him.

Roxas, Ventus' brother wore the same colors as Ventus. He was dressed in all black but had full body armor like Sora. He also didn't look that thrilled to see him or Vanitas. His blue eyes were cold and calculating, looking in between the two before his upper lip twitched into a disapproving frown. 

"What are you two doing here?" Roxas asked and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"To do business? What else?" Ventus replied and rolled his eyes. Vanitas did the same and followed behind Ventus until the two were standing closer to Sora and Roxas.

"Far as we know, gold coins don't grow on trees," Vanitas said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. 

"They do have a point," Sora answered far too cheerfully. 

"We sure do, listen to the fairy Roxy." Ventus grinned, giving his brother a smug look. 

"You can do business somewhere else, not in an Ace's hub. It wouldn't be too hard to sell whatever trash you have." Roxas glanced over at Vanitas as he said those words.

"Right back at you, or are you tired of cutting off the damn fairy's wings to feed yourself." Vanitas hissed with a sneer and took a step closer. 

"Woah, woah guys, um, let's not fight, hahaha." Sora got in between the two, and gently pushed on Roxas' chest to get him to step back. "We are inside a hub and we are all Aces, in case you forgot. We could get kicked out and banned from this hub if we cause trouble. So, chill, you too Roxas."

"What Sora said, we are just here to do our business and get out. We aren't staying," Ventus mumbled the last part and walked pass Roxas and Sora to place two large bags on top of the table behind them. 

An older woman opened the bags and started to look through the different items. She was a bit slow but was obviously trying to check to make sure everything she was given was a legit item and not just a fake. 

"T-that's a lot of werewolf's fangs," Sora said with a nervous laugh.

"Pulled them out myself," Vanitas said amusingly. He was clearly grinning underneath his mask. 

"You're still wearing this cheap old thing, I heard the elves have amazing crystals that make the strongest masks." Roxas tapped Vanitas' mask with his fingers and wasn't surprised at all when his hand was slapped away. 

"You know I have to."

"Yeah, but I figured by now my brother would have gotten you something nicer. Why are you so cheap Ventus?"

"I'm trying to do businesses here! Please don't annoy me," Ventus answered and waved one of his hands uncaringly. "Why don't y'all go get something to drink or eat, I'll pay for it."

Ventus heard footsteps behind him and assumed they were all gone but then a pair of armored arms were leaning against the table next to him. He sighed loudly and hung his head in defeat. 

"That included you too Roxas."

"Sora can keep Vanitas busy, I need to talk to you. I wasn't playing about his mask, you are still using the same fucking one from your first ritual." Roxas was now leaning closer to Ventus, whispering angrily at him as the old lady kept looking through Ventus' things. 

"Yeah, I know I am, how is that any of your business?"

"It isn't. I don't give a fuck if you and your dead boyfriend want to pretend like what you did isn't fucking taboo, but at least be goddamn responsible about it. You should know how necromancy works since you are apparently an expert at the subject now." 

"What is your point, Roxas? To annoy me? To remind me that I fucked up and let him die, is that it? Because I swear if something ever happens to Sora I'm going to do what you did to me and fucking walk away while you are weeping for his death."

"No, Ven, urg! It's impossible to talk to you now, you get so defensive about him. I'm trying to shake some sense into you." Roxas sighed and ran one of his hands over his face. "Vanitas is the product of a dark ritual Ventus, a necromancy ritual. A ritual that was taught to you by someone stronger than you in necromancy magic. He is still a tool of necromancy and don't forget what necromancers love the most, which is?"

"Good, functioning corpses," Ventus mumbled knowing where this was going. 

"Exactly, Vanitas is literally a fucking enchanted, silver sword for them. A top tier magician's book. A diamond. He looks as alive as anyone in this room. You did that, you worked hard for that. It took you months to bring him back. You put more effort into it than any necromancer ever expected because even they don't bring a corpse back with a soul. Corpses are tools for them, they don't see necromancy as a way to bring people back from death, you broke their rules. If any of them find out they'll take him away, and they will use him however they see fit."

Ventus was silent, it wasn't as if what Roxas said hadn't gone through his mind before. It was another reason why they avoided major cities at all costs unless it was necessary, like right now.

"You are strong Ventus but there could be people stronger than you out there, and if one of them is a stronger necromancer than you, then they can take control of him and take him. Vanitas' reputation was already legendary and no one has forgotten about that just because he went "missing" a few months. He is the strongest black magic user in the Ace's guild. If necromancers find out that he is dead, you two are never going to be safe, ever again." 

"So what do you want me to do? Drop everything and go hide?" 

"No, do what I just said. Get his restraints made out of elven crystals. Elves, as you know, are immortal but they can choose to die, if they do then a ceremonial gown with armor is made for them, with their crystals. The crystals protect the bodies and keep them from decomposing while also make it so necromancy magic cannot be used against the corpse." 

"But that just means it would break the link my magic has with Vanitas." 

"No, it wouldn't, it's like a very strong repellent that keeps things out and everything in. The link is already set, what it would do is prevent other necromancy magic from ever affecting him. If you need to use a spell on him then you can just take the armor off, but the armor is linked to you and so you'll be the only one that can take it off." 

Ventus rubbed his lips together, thinking over what Roxas was saying. It all made sense, and he knew very well that his brother wouldn't lead him astray, even if the two were not in the best terms, they were still brothers and Ventus knew that Roxas cared about him. 

"If they see him, they won't help me. Even if I know them." Ventus sighed quietly and watched as the old lady started to put gold coins inside a well-sized bag. 

"You guys used to be very close friends, give it a try, you'll be surprised how hard it is to truly stay mad at you." Roxas chuckled and lightly bumped shoulders with Ventus. 

"You say that, but you are still pretty pissed off." Ventus smiled and grabbed the bag full of coins once the old lady was done counting them. She smiled at Ventus and went over to help her next customer. 

"I'm always going to be pissed off about that, Ventus. You betrayed our family, for what?" 

"I betrayed no one, Roxas. I simply made the choice that led me back to him, and I wasn't going to stop just because our family enjoys fights between gods." 

Roxas sighed in frustration and shook his head. He didn't want to continue arguing and instead followed Ventus. 

Vanitas and Sora were already sitting in front of a table with different kinds of food that Sora showed no restraint when ordering. Sora was happily eating anything sweet that was in front of him while Vanitas was giving him a look of disgust. 

"You're only eating pastries. That's disgusting."

"I can't help it, I love sweets, our kind just can't resist the smell."

"That's why fairies always smell sweet," Roxas chimed in and took a seat in front of Sora. 

"And that's also why it is easy to trick them and capture them," Ventus added right after and sat next to Roxas. 

Sora's only response was to pout. He wasn't that hungry anymore. He dropped the last slice of cake on a plate and pushed it away with a grumpy look. 

"Only young fairies are easy to trick and capture because they are babies," Sora mumbled and glared at the piece of cake. "We are far more useful if we help people willingly. Like our magic makes this armor feel weightless! And if you travel with a fairy you're always guaranteed a good night of sleep!"

"Oh, there are other ways to guarantee a good night of sleep, right Vani?" Ventus said, a smug smile slowly spreading over his lips.

Sora tilted his head in confusion. He glanced over at Vanitas and then Ventus, noticing how cocky they looked. It wasn't until Vanitas wriggled his eyebrows a little bit that he was able to catch on what they were saying. His cheeks instantly turned a bright red and his lips started to tremble. He was so embarrassed, he started to look less human, his concentration breaking as his ears became pointy and the blue in his pupils crawled across the rest of his eyeballs, leaving his eyes completely blue and glowing. 

"Oh my god, we made him break his illusion," Vanitas said and started to laugh. The poor Fairy was covering his face with both of his hands. 

"Knock it off, quit picking on him!" Roxas rolled his eyes and walked around the table. He hugged Sora and gently rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to get him to calm down. "It's fine Sora, they were just teasing you."

"They're the worst Roxas, they are so the worst!" 

It was Ventus' turn to start laughing. He completely ignored the glare his brother was giving him. it was just so odd that his strict and tough brother ended up with a fairy from all people. Roxas hated to baby anyone, in fact, he hated children altogether but ever since he met Sora, all of his logic was thrown out the window. It was just too funny, but he was happy for them.

* * *

  
The large inn room was spacious but it still felt cramped with the four of them inside. Vanitas was sitting by the fireplace, going through his different weapons and trying to see which ones needed some help before they left the city. He was already done checking Ventus' weapons and the ones that were cracked or dull were sitting in a corner of the room. 

Sora and Roxas were no longer wearing their armor and were sitting on one of the beds. Roxas was reading an old, dusty book while Sora was looking at a map and trying to figure out where exactly the bounties they picked were located. 

It was Ventus that broke the silence. "I'm going to the elven forest and I can't bring Vanitas."

Roxas was expecting Ventus' decision to eventually happen. He nodded in response and looked at him "I'll come with you." 

"Why can't I go?" Vanitas asked and looked at Ventus. "You can't leave me here, you know what'll happen if you go too far." 

"I highly doubt elves will want you around Vanitas and I need to ask a favor from them. It's best if they don't know this has to do with you. Sora can stay here with you and he can keep an eye on you while I'm gone."

"Uh? Why? What's gonna happen when Ventus leaves?" Sora wasn't sure of what they were talking about, as far as he was aware there was no reason for him to stay behind.

"If I'm too far away from Vanitas, our magic link weakens and he'll basically go into a deep sleep. He's still "alive" but since I'm not near him and we are both linked together, he can't function." 

"During that time he is powerless and needs someone to take care of him, so I trust you can do that, Sora," Roxas added with a small smile and gently nudged Sora with his foot. 

"I mean, sure, I can do it but what's in it for me?" Sora grinned, now looking very pleased with himself. 

"What do you want?" Ventus asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"I waaaaaant, mhmm-" Sora tapped his fingers against his chin then pointed at Vanitas. "I want to stick my fingers in his mouth." 

Roxas looked alarmed by the request. Ventus looked confused and Vanitas' eyes were wide. 

"What the fuck?" Vanitas shook his head, trying to get the confusing request out of his head. 

"Listen! But like, listen for real. His saliva is cold, that's weird. That's super weird, no one's saliva is cold. Like inside of him is cold-cold. I wanna see how that feels." Sora flailed his arms around as he tried to explain himself, his logic was flawless but to everyone else, he made no sense. 

"No, I don't want you sticking your fingers in my mouth what the hell."

"Okay, sure, you can do it," Ventus said with a shrug. At least Sora wasn't asking for gold.

"What! No, Ventus fuck off! He's not sticking his fingers in my mouth."

"Too late, already said yes."

"Well too bad if I bite down and chop off his fingers! You jackass." 

"You better be nice to Sora, he's the one that is going to be taking care of you after you fall asleep. Be grateful, babysitting you is not an easy task."

"Grateful? I don't even know why you are dumping me here and leaving me, what if you don't come back? Why does it matter if you go to the elven forest or not! What if I-I don't wake up."

Ventus stood up and walked over to Vanitas. He kneeled in front of him and gently pressed one of his hands against the side of his face. "I'll come back and wake you up, okay? I'm trying to get you a better facemask so be nice to me, alright? I can't take you to the elves, they'll kill you without hesitation and our magic is weaker in their forest. They control the woods."

"I know this." Vanitas sighed and leaned in, resting his face against Ventus' chest. "I know it but I don't want you to go, I'm fine with this mask."

"Yeah, but maybe sometime in the future, you won't. We'll be back in about two weeks, in the meantime Sora can keep you company, maybe his sweet smell will rub off on you!" 

Vanitas chewed on his bottom lip, not at all happy with the situation but he didn't want to argue anymore. 

* * *

_The smell of blood was too strong. Ventus dropped the groceries he was carrying and quickly rushed to his bedroom. He undid the five locks and shoved away the piece of furniture that was blocking the door. He stepped inside, his heart beating so fast he was sure the blood rushing through his veins was making him move faster than ever._

_The bedroom was dark with only two candles illuminating the small space. The windows had metal bars that were fortified with magic. There was no furniture with the exception of a mattress in the middle of the room and a few blankets. The room was messy and dirty but that wasn't what worried Ventus._

_Ventus eyes were fixated on the figure that was on the floor. Vanitas' eyes were closed and there was blood coming out from large cuts on his wrists. Ventus caught a glimpse of a sharp piece of ceramic that probably belonged to one of the many plates Vanitas had smashed against the walls._

_This wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening. Ventus' body moved on its own. Vanitas was still breathing, that was good. It was perfect. His fingers quickly started to move over the pool of blood on the floor. Two digits were easily drawing multiple symbols with the crimson liquid, making sure to do it around the blood before Ventus drew the same symbols on Vanitas' body._

_The blood pulsated a bright red and then it slowly started to crawl back inside Vanitas' body. Ventus could hear the loud heartbeat. It was echoing around the room. Each heartbeat drew the blood closer until all of it was gone, until the blood was once again where it belonged. The wounds slowly sealed shut and Vanitas' eyes snapped open._

_Ventus hardly had time to jump back before Vanitas was trying to tackle him. The golden eyes were glowing, and his hands were different, they looked like sharp claws ready to attack. Vanitas tried again but the chains around his limbs and neck kept him from being able to do anything. He was growling, thrashing around like a wild animal, not at all caring about getting hurt._

_He screamed and his voice cracked. Ventus covered his ears, crawling backward until his back hit the wall behind him. Vanitas was pulling on the chains, hissing, and growling. He screamed again and then kicked his legs. It kept going until he fell limp on the floor, his eyes blinking slowly._

_Ventus moved carefully, crawling towards Vanitas and gently brushing his bangs off of his eyes. The bright eyes were looking at Ventus, cold and full of hatred._

_Ventus froze in place, his eyes wide. The blood in his veins was turning cold and there was a heavy lump stuck in his throat. It hurt. It hurt a lot. He swallowed heavily, holding back the tears that were welling in his eyes._

_"P-please, please don't hate me."_

"Ventus, Ventus wake up, Ventus!"

Ventus' eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up. He was shaking, his breathing too quick, too fast. He couldn't feel the air getting to his lungs. His whole form was burning and his body was so stiff, yet he couldn't stop trembling. 

"Hey, hey! get a hold of yourself," Roxas said and held onto Ventus' face. He forced him to look at him, his voice calm and soft. "Breathe, slowly. Feel the ground underneath you, you're sitting. Your fingers are twitching, feel them. Feel my hands, they are warm. You're okay. Ground yourself and breathe." 

It took a few seconds but Ventus was finally able to breathe normally. He gave Roxas a small nod and didn't argue at all when Roxas pulled him in for a hug and kissed the top of his head. The rest of the day resumed as usual. Roxas was avoiding talking about Ventus' nightmare and for that Ventus was glad. The nightmares still felt too real, as if everything happened just the day before. They got worse every time he was separated from Vanitas for too long. 

"We are here," Roxas said and glanced over at Ventus. 

The elven forest was completely different from other forests. The trees were white, and the leaves looked as if they were made out of glass. The pathway changed from dirt to pure silver that shone bright with the sun. But they couldn't just step in, if they tried it they'll just find themselves on the other side of the forest, outside the elves’ territory. 

"The sooner we get this done the faster we can go back," Ventus mumbled and pulled out a necklace from inside his leather vest. He slid the necklace over his head, watching as Roxas did the same with a similar necklace. The two nodded at each other and then stepped forward. The second both of their feet were inside the path, the scenery changed. 

It was no longer a forest but a large city with towers as tall as the castles king's enjoyed building. Everything was white with silver, and the elves were walking through the streets, going on about their days and ignoring the two visitors that stood out far too much with their black clothes. 

"Ah, I thought I felt someone familiar."

Ventus turned around and a wide smile spread over his lips. A tall woman was standing behind them, her blue hair gently brushed against her face and her large eyes were framed with blue eyelashes that had a spark to them. The long elven ears were peeking through her hair and had multiple earrings decorating them. She wore a long, white robe with wide sleeves and a silver crown on her head.

"Aqua!" Ventus practically jumped in the woman's arms and hugged her tightly. 

"Welcome back, Ventus and Roxas." She gave Roxas a kind smile and gently ran her fingers through Ventus' hair. 

"Your place looks as flashy as ever." Roxas chuckled and looked around, noticing how a few elves were now glancing in their direction. It wasn't every day that mortals came to visit one of their leaders. 

"We are under renovation at the moment, so it could look better," Aqua said with a short giggle. "What brings you here?"

"Well, Ventus here requires something only you guys got."

"Oh? What is it Ventus?" Aqua blinked a couple of times and pulled back to better face the shorter male.

"Well." Ventus nervously scratched the side of his mouth and looked up at her. "We need some elven crystals."

"More specifically, we need burial crystals," Roxas added.

"Burial crystals? Did someone die from your family?" Aqua asked with panic in her voice

"No! Nonono, everyone is fine. Too fine actually." Ventus coughed nervously against his hand. "These are for someone else, a friend."

"Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. Please, if I can do anything, just let me know." 

"Thank you, Aqua." Ventus smiled, but he could feel the guilt twisting his stomach. 

"Please, follow me, I'll take you to one of our miners. He should be able to select a few decent crystals for you." Aqua stepped to the side, motioning for the two to follow as she guided the way. "Please, don't tell anyone about this. I don't want people knocking on our doors trying to get elven crystals, you guys are just a very special exception." 

"We know, we know," Ventus said with a laugh and smiled. It was so long since he felt at ease like this, but Aqua just had that magic about her. He knew her since he was nothing but a kid when he first wandered into the forest. It called for him and so he followed until he found Aqua.

The elf was wounded and bleeding. Even if elves were immortal when it came to aging and illnesses, they could still die from mortal wounds. She looked pale and was crying. Ventus came to her aid, not realizing it was an elf. He was young but one of the first spells he learned in his training was a healing spell. He used it as many times as it took until he couldn't anymore. He passed out right after and woke up in the elven city. 

It was how elves met his family, and now his family was in an alliance with the elves. They helped with whatever creatures the elves couldn't manage, as they were very weak towards creatures that used dark magic. 

"Are the crystals easy to use?" Ventus asked and looked up at Aqua.

The three had already reached the mines and one of the miners was currently picking a few crystals for them. Some were larger than others, while others were small but glowed with the light. The miner mentioned how it didn’t matter which one they picked, they just had to pick the right one and the one that called to them. It wasn’t the same with other crystals but burial crystals had a special call. 

"They can only take shape with magic. It is the same concept as enchanting armor, except the armor, in this case, will be the crystal. It will take the shape of the object you are trying to enchant." 

"Sounds easy enough!" Ventus hummed and walked through the different carts filled with crystals. All of them were burial crystals and all of them had different colors but the color that seemed to drown out the rest was silver.

"I know why you two are here," Aqua said once Ventus was far enough. She glanced down at Roxas, giving him a calculating look. "Your family already sent us a letter, letting us know that Ventus was disowned for performing forbidden rituals." 

Roxas bit the inside of his cheek, looking up at Aqua with narrowed eyes. "If you knew then why the hell did you let us in?" 

"It was smart of you two to leave the abomination behind, I would have killed it myself to allow Ventus to return to his family," Aqua replied and ignored Roxas' question. 

"Ventus doesn't want to go back. If you kill him, he'll just hate you. Ventus knew what he was doing, he knew what he was getting into. He isn't some naive kid anymore, he made his choice and he seems happy with it." 

Aqua shook her head, her eyes narrowing "Who could be happy after performing such a monstrosity. It's fine now, but the weight of what's happening is eventually going to settle on their shoulders and that weight is going to break your brother. Fire tends to spread easily, and they are going to burn from the inside out." 

"I know, Ventus knows. But what can we do?" 

"You kill the disease, Roxas. Don't forget the oath you took when you became an ace and also the soon to be head of your family. Your brother needs help, so help him."

Roxas went quiet and looked over at Ventus. He was picking crystal after crystal, looking them over until he finally had one that he liked. He grinned and lifted it in his hands. The large red crystal was beautiful and see-thru. It had a glow to it that reminded Roxas of the way Vanitas' eyes would glow when he was angry. 

"I found it! I found it!" Ventus grinned and ran to the two, holding the crystal for Aqua and Roxas to see.

"It's beautiful, Ventus. I'm glad it makes you happy," Aqua said with a smile and gently ran one of her hands on Ventus' cheek. In the end, Aqua just couldn't say no to Ventus, that was the reason why she let them in at all. 

Roxas watched the two and then looked away. Aqua's words were sinking in and he wasn't sure of what to think anymore. If he did become the head of his family, then he was never going to be able to see Ventus again. If he did, it would be to fight and end whatever Ventus did. He didn't want to think about it. He hated to think about it.

The two left the elven forest. Ventus with a bright smile and Roxas with a heavier weight on his shoulders. 

* * *

Vanitas slowly opened his eyes and was greeted with Ventus' face. He was smiling down at Vanitas, his arms around chest. Ventus leaned in, pressing his forehead against Vanitas' and then nuzzled his cheek against his face. 

"Welcome back," He said and pressed his lips against Vanitas' cheek. 

Vanitas rolled his head, his body feeling so stiff after being asleep for so long. He groaned and slowly managed to sit up. He held his head with one of his hands, his body slowly turning so he could lean against the wall behind him. 

"How long was I asleep?" 

"For like eight days!" Sora answered from across the room. He was busy eating a large stack of pancakes. 

"And there is something else!" Ventus grinned and sat in front of Vanitas on the bed. He pulled a mirror from behind him that he had been hiding and turned it to show Vanitas his face. "Tada!"

Vanitas stared at his reflection, his eyes widening at the mask he was wearing now. The mask fit perfectly around his jaw, it was a snug fit that didn't bring him any kind of discomfort. The mask was completely see-through, even if it was a red color. He could see his mouth and his nose, something he hardly gets to see at all anymore. A pair of small, black tassels adorned the sides of his mask, blending in with his hair perfectly. 

It looked so much better. He looked a lot better.

Vanitas hadn't realized he was crying until Ventus was in front of him again, holding Vanitas' face with a frown.

"What's wrong, you don't like it?" 

"I love it," Vanitas said, even if his voice was trembling. For the first time, Ventus was able to see him smile through his mask.

The loud noise of a chair being dragged on the floor broke the moment and both Ventus and Vanitas turned their heads to glare at Sora. Sora just smiled in return and put his plate down before walking over to the bed. The smile was soon turning into a full grin.

"I want my payment," Sora said, batting his eyelashes at the two. 

Vanitas growled and gave him a nasty look while Ventus just sighed and snapped his fingers. The mask around Vanitas' mouth came off, just like the old one. 

"Get it over with," Ventus mumbled, not looking too pleased with the deal anymore. 

Vanitas' eyes changed and so did his teeth, his sharp fangs were now peeking out from between his lips. Sora leaned in closer, looking far too excited about this whole deal. If anything he looked like a freaking kid at a candy shop but then again most fairies behaved this way. 

Vanitas finally gave in and opened his mouth. Sora wriggled a bit and after a few seconds of hesitation, he pushed two of his fingers inside Vanitas' mouth. He gasped. 

"Oh! Oh! It is cold. It's so weeeird!" Sora couldn't help himself but move his fingers inside Vanitas' mouth. His tongue was cold, his saliva was cold and even his breath was cold. It was so odd. 

"Can you hurry up, this is weird," Ventus mumbled, his eyes avoiding the whole scene as he tried to pretend like there wasn't something quite jaded filling his stomach. 

"Vanitas doesn't seem to mind." Roxas grinned and nudged Ventus' shoulder.

Ventus quickly turned his head to stare at the other two and his right eye twitched. Vanitas still had his mouth open and his eyes were half-lidded. He looked so docile and out of it, there was a blush on his cheeks and saliva running down his chin.

"Fairies taste very sweet, Ventus and their skin also work as an instant tranquilizer. That's why they are great to sleep with and also very hard to capture." Roxas was giving Ventus a mocking smile, his eyes showing that he was enjoying this more than he would like to admit. 

"Enough!" Ventus said with a small whine and pulled Vanitas towards him. He was hugging his head close to his chest and putting his mask back on at the same time. "You didn't tell me about this before making the deal!" 

"Well, that's because you didn't ask!" Sora grinned and clapped his hands together.

"Fairies are also massive tricksters," Roxas added and snickered quietly. 

"I hate you both." 

**Author's Note:**

> tbh comments amuse me and keep me more entertained than Kudos.


End file.
